Vending method and device



Dec. 19, 1933. v H. H. MCKEE ET AL l 1,940,005

VENDING METHOD AND DEVICE .Filed Aug. 2l. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 1.9, l933 H. H. MGKEE Er AL vENDNG METHOD `AND DEVICE Filed Aug. 21. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 19, 1933. H. H. MCKEE in' AL 1,940,005

VENDING METHOD AND DEVICE I s sheets-'sheet s ZJ m/ J I Filed Aug. 2l. 1929 y Patented Dec. 19, 1933 UNITED STATES Param 'ol-*F1os dastrlal Patents Corporation; Chicago, 1ll.,'a corporation of Delaware Application August 21, 1929. Serial No. 387,364

3 Claims. (Cl. 31a-'36) This invention relates to the retail merchandising of standardized package goods, including especially meats and the 'like which'require refrigeration.

Heretoiore it has been customary for the packing houses to supply meats in bulk to the retail markets where the clerks fill current orders by cutting up the meat and wrapping 'the same according to'individual orders. Such meats are usually kept in built-in refrigerators or ice boxes, and in articially cooled show cases. method of retailing has resulted in defective refrigeration and premature deterioration of the meat. I y' The main objects of-this invention/are to pro# vide for better refrigeration of the meats in the retail shops, and especially to provide against sales and dispensing operations materially interfering with the desiredtemperature of the meat display counter or cabinet; to provide for suitably dispensing standardized meat packages either without the4 aid of a local butcher or sales clerk or with much less of such aid than was required heretofore; to provide thus for system'- v atically dispensing meats of various kinds; to provide for automatically maintaining a desired and predetermined degree of temperature in the retail cabinet or dispenser; and to provide for ready supply of such packages to the dispensing mechanism consistently with a minimum amount of attentionand labor. v

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown by the, accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is mainly a front elevation ot a refrigerated automatic vending store fixture or cabinet, part being broken away at the right 'hand side to show the air circulating fan.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the. device. of Fig. 1 from front'to back,las` on'the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of va standardized wrapped meat package, as for example, a package of sliced pork chops.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the upper part of the .conveyor apparatus shown in Fig. 5, and is Asubstantially an enlargement of a part of Fig. 1

' with the glass front andcabinet removed.

vending device or machine 1 as a whole, is adapted for installation in any retail store where it may be placed in any convenient position, as for example with its back adj ent to the wall of the building; the front be g accessible tocustomers as they walk alon an aisle or passageway in front of the devi e. This may extend for any desired distance, according to 'the cagpacity and needs of the store. The height of the device is preferably suilicient to give ample head room inside, for an attendant who mayv enter through a door located at one end of the device.' i

y The device comprises mainly a tightly closedA cabinet 2, having a glass vfront 3, a set of mutually independent dispensing conveyor mechanisms 4 visible through said front, a passageway 5 behind the mechanism to admit an attendant, supply drawers 6, beneath the conveyors, to receive suflicient quantities of goods from time to time, to enable frequent recharging of the conveyos 4 as their contents are currently removed by customers.

Each mechanism 4 comprises an endless chain 'I disposed triangularly in a vertical plane, a large wheel 8 to support the uppermost corner of the chain, a smaller wheel 9 to support the rearward corner of the chain and a similar sized wheel 10 of the sprocket type provided with a ratchet 11 to be actuated by the pawl 12, for driving the conveyor chain 7 step by step under manual operation by the customer. Said pawl is carried by a link 13 pivoted to the shaft 10 with wheel 10. Said link at its free end is pivoted to a link 14 which in turn is pivoted to one arm of a bell-crank lever 15, the other arm of which is operatively connected to' a pull rod 16 having a handle 17 to be grasped by the customer.' A spring 18 n'or`- mally holds the rod 16 retracted. Each chain 'l has a series of pairs of outstanding arms 19 projecting between the xed slideway skids 2 to as-A sure positive movement of the goods. Guide walls 2' separate the conveyors 4.

Rigidly mounted on each rod 16 within the cabinet 1, isa collar 16.1 having an upright rod 17.1 which comprises a forwardly extending arm 18.1, the end of which registers with a delivery outlet and is extended into said outlet when the rod 16 is pulled outwardly.

In order to keep the device as a whole properly chilled a refrigerating system of any desired kind is provided.` The kind shown comprises a set of. cooling coils 20 disposed within the space which is surrounded by the conveyors 4. A fan 21, driven by the motor 22.6 as shown by Fig. 1, serves to cir`- f culate the lair in the device and especially to drive it past the Acoils 20. Passageways 23 admit air from outside, to assure gradual renewal and replacement of air.

In the practice of this invention the packer delivers his supplies to the storage drawers or magazines 6, usually including various kinds oi meats. Then the local clerk observes the conveyors from time to time, and as they become depleted he replenishes ,them from the drawers 6, each with its own kind of meat. The packages 24 shown in Figs. 2 and 3, represent wrapped packages of sliced pork chops.

The customer passes along the front of the device, chooses the product he desires to purchase, and pulls the corresponding handle l?. This advances the conveyor and causes it to discharge a package downward by gravity. When the rod 16 is moved in this manner the end of the arm 18.1 pushes open the trap door 25, allowing the package to pass through the outlet, and onto the platform or shelf 26. The spring 18 restores the operating mechanism readily for the next customer to use, and door 25 closes by gravity.

Although but one specific 'embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it is to 'be understood that numerous details of the construction and method set forth may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as dened by the following claims:

We claim:

1. A vending machine comprising a housing having a transparent portion, an endless conveyor located within the housing adapted to receive standardized meat packages for delivery to customers, the housing having a delivery outlet, a shelf extending outwardly through said outlet beyond the housing, a self-closing door for said outlet, operable to open to permit passage of a package through the outlet to said shelf, a rod slidable through a wall of the housing adjacent said outlet, means operatively connecting said rod and the endless conveyor whereby to operate the conveyor to move the same a predetermined distance upon movement of said rod in one direction, a. door opening rod projecting from and affixed to the aforesaid rod and having an arm adapted to engage and force said door outwardly when the rst mentioned rod is thus moved so as to thereby simultaneously advancethe conveyor and open the door to deliver Lampes a package through the outlet onto the shelf and means to return said rod and door opening rod to their original position.

2. A vending machine comprising a housing having a transparent wall, an endless conveyor `located within the housing adapted to receive standardized meat packages for delivery to customers, the housing having a delivery outlet, a shelf extending outwardly through said outlet beyond the housing, a normally closed door for said outlet and operable to open to permit passage of a package through.` the outlet onto said shelf, a ratchet mechanism operatively connected to the endless conveyor, a pull rod slidable through a wall of the housing adjacent said outlet, means operatively connecting said rod and said ratchet mechanism whereby tomove the endless conveyor step by step, and means carried by said rod and movable therewith to operate against said door tofopen the latter as the ratchet mechanism is operated by said rod to eiect a predetermined movement of the conveyor and to permit discharge of a package through said outlet onto said shelf.

3. A vending machine comprising a housing, fixed slide-way skids arranged therein, a plurality of endless chains operable in the housing and having outstanding arms extending between the slide-way skids and adapted to effect positive movement of packages arranged on the slideway skids upon operation of the respective chains, the housing having a plurality of delivery outlets, one for coaction with each endless chain, a shelf extending outwardly through each outlet beyond the housing,- a normally closed door for each outlet, pull rods slidable through a wall of the housing, one adjacent each of said delivery outlets, means operatively connecting each rod with the respective endless chain whereby to move the latter a predetermined distance on a pull upon said rod, a second rod projecting from each of the respective aforesaid rods and having an arm adapted to engage and force the respective door outwardly when said rod is pulled upon so as to thereby simultaneously advance the respective chain and open the respective closure to deliver a package through the respective outlet onto the respective shelf.

HARRY H. MCKEE. CHARLES T. WALTER. 

